Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!
$99 Yearly Supply Alert! 🌈 "1 per Day!" Bariatric Multivitamins

Hopes and Dreams

MindiJean

Recommended Posts

MindiJean    93

MindiJean
Posted

What are you hoping to "gain" by losing weight with this surgery?

I'm having this surgery so that I can lose weight and have a safer hernia surgery in the Spring. I am a bladder cancer survivor. I had my bladder removed in a long 12 hour surgery in March of 2011. I started developing a hernia a few months after surgery, and it has now grown to be 14 cm in diameter. It could have it's own zip code. The surgeon suggested that I lose weight prior to fixing the hernia, for a less life-threatening procedure and higher success rate.

My real hope and dream is to eventually gain my life back. My husband and I have been foster parents for about 8 years now. We've lost three babies of our own, had four failed adoptions, lost our last baby when they found the tumors in my bladder. I am 45 years old, and would like to one day have a "forever child". We are trying to adopt. I want to be able to take care of and have energy and be able to play with our child, if we ever reach our fundraising goal to afford adoption! I can't do that now, with a 14 cm hernia. It hurts to walk any distance now.

We have numerous fundraisers going on right now. I have different online parties all the time, that my friends hold for us. Our goal, along with having the funds to adopt, is for both of us to be able to successfully parent a child of our own. And my hope is that this surgery is the first step to achieving our goal.

BKLYNgal87 reacted to this

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

southernsoul    773

southernsoul
Posted

I volunteer as a CASA for kids in foster care, so huge kudos to you for being a foster parent. I know how hard my foster parents work at giving the kids in their care some stability and security. My biggest "gain" hope after surgery was to regain my mobility. The restrictions in my life due to my mobility had become unacceptable to me. I missed being able to participate in so many activities and fun things I wanted to do. I'm only about halfway through the weight I want to lose, but the difference in how I walk and move is already huge! I feel so much better & have way less pain than I have had in YEARS. I hope that everything you want to gain happens for you!

Kay__S, Mammecan, MindiJean and 1 other reacted to this

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

MindiJean    93

MindiJean
Posted

I volunteer as a CASA for kids in foster care, so huge kudos to you for being a foster parent. I know how hard my foster parents work at giving the kids in their care some stability and security. My biggest "gain" hope after surgery was to regain my mobility. The restrictions in my life due to my mobility had become unacceptable to me. I missed being able to participate in so many activities and fun things I wanted to do. I'm only about halfway through the weight I want to lose, but the difference in how I walk and move is already huge! I feel so much better & have way less pain than I have had in YEARS. I hope that everything you want to gain happens for you!

Have you had anyone accuse you of being vain or taking the easy way out?

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

southernsoul    773

southernsoul
Posted

Have you had anyone accuse you of being vain or taking the easy way out?

Nope, not one single person. I'm totally open about having surgery, including posting about it on FB. I have received a ton of encouragement from people in all areas of my life. Sure, there may be some folks who think that I'm vain or that this is the easy way out, but that doesn't really bother me. What somebody else thinks about me is really none of my business. If someone were to say that to me I think my response would just be to say "OK" and then keep on doing my thing. :)

MindiJean reacted to this

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

MaryRS    18

MaryRS
Posted

I volunteer as a CASA for kids in foster care' date=' so huge kudos to you for being a foster parent. I know how hard my foster parents work at giving the kids in their care some stability and security. My biggest "gain" hope after surgery was to regain my mobility. The restrictions in my life due to my mobility had become unacceptable to me. I missed being able to participate in so many activities and fun things I wanted to do. I'm only about halfway through the weight I want to lose, but the difference in how I walk and move is already huge! I feel so much better & have way less pain than I have had in YEARS. I hope that everything you want to gain happens for you![/quote']

Southern soul, I love CASA. I was the director of our local program for six years. Hardest job I ever loved!!

southernsoul reacted to this

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

MindiJean    93

MindiJean
Posted

Anyone else?

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Go To Topic Listing PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • KimBaxleyWilson

      KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • bellaamey

      bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.

  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    Bariatric Forums

    For Patients

    Health Professionals

    Search Surgeons

    Bariatric Surgeons: Want to research a weight loss surgery surgeon? Enter their last name below to start!

    ×